This is the old fashioned kind of chicken soup that is made from scratch, broth and all. It does take a bit more time and has a few more steps, but the end result is so very worth it. It is fabulous to warm you up on a cold day, to make a sick one feel loved, or simply to stretch the food budget by spreading leftover chicken bits into another filling meal.
Ingredients:
Chicken bones with some meat left on them. I usually use what remains after we have a roast chicken. If you want more soup, use two chickens.
2 Onions
4-5 stalks Celery
1-2 Carrots
1 glove Garlic
1 bag Noodles – the finer the better
Salt
Pepper
Step by Step Instructions and Photos:
Place chicken bones and remnants into large stock pot. Add 1 Onion and 2 stalks Celery both roughly cut into large chunks and the Garlic Clove. We will not be eating the vegetables, so go ahead and use those wilted or dried out bits in the back of the refrigerator. Cover with water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 1-2 hours. The longer it simmers, the richer the broth.
Strain out the broth. I do this by skimming through it repeatedly with a slotted spoon. You could pour it through a colander from one pan to another if you want to get every last particle out, but that can be messy and difficult. Set aside the chicken & bones to cool.
Chop the remaining Onion, Celery, and Carrots finely and add to the broth. Sprinkle in Salt and Pepper liberally. (If you are in doubt about the salt and pepper, add a little at a time, then taste your broth.) Bring to a boil and simmer for at least ½ an hour or until vegetables are tender.
When the meat and bones have cooled enough so that you can handle them, pull the good meat off the bones and cut or tear it into bite-sized pieces. Add this to the broth and vegetables. It does not really matter when you add it because it is fully cooked, just make sure it has plenty of time to get nice and hot before you serve.
Boil your Noodles. I never seem to have enough broth to cook my Noodles right in the soup, so I generally boil them a little in salted water first, then add them to the soup. For example, the package on these noodles said to boil for 10 minutes, so I boiled them for 7-8 then added them to the soup to finish cooking. This way I got the best of both worlds with some flavor in my noodles and some broth left.
Don’t forget to taste your broth last thing to see if you need to add more salt.
